Daddy dearest

This Sunday, June 19, is Father’s Day. So, today’s post is about the 3 fathers in my life…..my own father, my late father-in-law and my husband (father to my 2 children).

My father….I am my parent’s eldest child born to them after 4 years of marriage and so a much awaited child. My mother always told me one thing….your father can handle any difficulties that come his way but he cannot bear to see you sad. And that statement is testimony to the infinite love that my father has for me. There is another thing which is equally true…..I do believe that this is true for all daughters…..they cannot bear it if their Dads scold them. As a child, I would start to cry if my father scolded me (which he rarely did but when he did…..it would make me really sad). Of course, it is Mom’s constant disciplining which has helped make me who I am today…..but I guess like most daughters, I also tended to not be too bothered about it. And today, life has come a full circle….my daughter is not too bothered if I scold her but will promptly burst into tears if her Dad tells her anything. Yes, a father – daughter relationship is unique and special. Mine is an arranged marriage and after I met my soon to be husband there was one thing which bothered me and which I expressed only to my father. I would be in the US after my marriage…far away from him…..how can I be so far away from you Daddy? And my father told me….I want to see you happy with a person who will love you and take care of you and my heart tells me he is that person. I would rather know that you are far away and well settled than have you nearby and miserable. Today, because we are in two different countries, I don’t see him often but he continues to be with me as my pillar and strength, always inspiring me. To my father….you are the best father to my sister and me…Happy Father’s Day to you.

My late father-in-law…..Since my husband is here in the US, when our marriage proposal came about, I first met his father…..my late father-in-law. And that meeting signified the development of the close bond that we had for the next 10 years until he passed away. To him, he had 4 children…..his 2 sons and his 2 daughters-in-law. The love he had for all of us was the same. In fact, my husband used to good naturedly complain…..Sometimes you act as if she is your daughter and I am your son-in-law. I was eight months pregnant with my daughter when my father-in-law became seriously ill. So I could not travel to India to see him. My husband went alone and was by his father’s side when he breathed his last. My father was the person who called me to give me the news. It was late in India when the call came. And when I picked up the phone and heard my father’s voice at the other end, I knew…..I asked my Dad…..Daddy? (that is how I called my father-in-law)….and my father replied…Yes, not with us anymore. I did not fight back the tears that had started rolling down. Then my father said something…..the best thing that a father can feel about his daughter’s father-in-law….I know, you were as much a daughter to him as you are to me. And that statement is testimony to the love that my father-in-law had for me. He has been gone for 3 years now….we all miss him a lot…..to us, he was the best father.

My husband….father to my 2 children…they are his world….he loves them, he equally disciplines them, he advices them, he laughs with them, he listens patiently to every little thing they have to say, he plays with them, he gives them piggy back rides, he wants to make them tough and capable of dealing with anything in this world…..and he can face any difficulties that come his way….except seeing his children sick or sad. My daughter lately has developed the habit of putting her little arms around him, hugging him and saying…..Daddy, you are the best. And that statement is testimony to the love and the bond that my children have with their father. To my husband, you are the best father our children could have….Happy Father’s Day to you.

To all the Dads out there…..To your daughters, you will always be that highest standard that their future husbands will have to match up to. To your sons, you are their role model and they will want to be like you….a word of appreciation from you makes them very very happy. And to your children….you will always remain their pillar and strength....to them, you will always be the best father in the whole world.

Signing off wishing all the Super Dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day and this quote

‘Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad’